Cat and Mouse
by ThePriceIsMeg
Summary: Kelly unwittingly cracks a brand new case wide open, and finds herself in big trouble. !Femslash!
1. Toast?

**Thank you for reading! Although this is my first story, I have been writing Kelly/Kris for quite a while offsite, so the relationship here is a continuation and not a first-kiss kind of story. There's nothing graphic here but if femslash isn't your cup of tea, you've been warned. Relationship nutshell: they got together with Angel on High, they've been taking it slow physically, only Sabrina and Jill know. **

**And as always… reviews are very appreciated! It's not all written yet so your feedback could literally **_**change the course of history**_**.**

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The phone rang.

I squeezed my already closed eyes tighter, wanting to ignore it and fall back asleep. The covers rustled; the bed shifted; the ringing stopped.

"Hello?" a scratchy voice said next to me.

"Oh. Hey." The scratchiness disappeared abruptly, replaced with intentionally smooth, perky tones. I could hear the notes of Bosley's voice through the phone.

"No, you didn't wake us up." My eyes snapped open just in time to see Kris realize what she'd just said.

"Yeah uh, Kelly, I mean, is here. She didn't feel like driving all the way back last night." She covered her mouth to conceal a yawn.

The Thursday morning sun poured into Kris's bedroom through the curtain we'd neglected to pull last night. It was just past 8, according to her clock. I rubbed my eyes.

"Ah. Well there's nothing to worry about. Did you want to talk to her?" There was a long pause. I watched her eyes wander around the room and then register a frown. "I'm.... not sure. Hold on." She put the phone to her shoulder and turned to me. "Is your toaster broken?"

I frowned also. "Yeah… why?"

"Yeah, why?" She repeated into the phone, and seemed to remain unsatisfied at the response. "Uh.. okay then. We'll see you. Byebye."

She replaced the phone on her nightstand, and ran her hand back through her hair with a sigh.

"What's he want?"

"We're supposed to meet at the office at ten and he says to tell you to bring your toaster," she explained, her morning voice once again undisguised. I never told her how much I liked it that way.

"But it's broken...? I don't get it."

"I don't either. But we'll stop by your place and pick it up. You didn't answer at home so he thought you were kidnapped or something."

"You should have told him I was. Then I could stay in bed," I yawned.

"We weren't up late."

"I know," I sighed. Actually we had gone to bed pretty early, both tired from a long run on the beach. "I just like… this." I slid my hand over and held hers, wanting to just lie next to her for a while longer.

"Me too," she smiled, interlocking her fingers with mine. "But… duty calls. Listen, I'm gonna jump in the shower. If we get going soon, we can maybe stop and get a quick breakfast on the way. And by the way, good morning."

"Good morning."

She planted a kiss on my cheek and climbed out of bed. Already pulling one arm free of its sleeve, she disappeared around the corner toward the bathroom. I heard the muffled rush of the shower turning on.

I leaned back into the pillows, just soaking in the new day for a minute. The morning sunlight was cheerful, a little sea breeze fluttered in the plants outside the window. Stretching lazily my hand grazed the pillow, still warm where Kris had slept. I smiled.

Things were good. This was going to be a good day.**  
**


	2. Good morning, Angels

I walked into the office cradling my toaster like a sick pet. Bosley and Sabrina looked up from the desk.

"Well well, just in time," Sabrina said, disappearing behind her coffee mug.

"Morning, girls," Bosley greeted us.

"Ok, what gives?" I asked, setting it down on the bar.

He chuckled. "Somebody's going to have to check out an appliance repair shop today, and I remembered you mentioning it was broken. Two birds, I figured."

"Wow, I take it this is going to be a _really_ exciting case," Kris smirked, crossing her arms.

"Then the repair bill would really be more of a business expense..." I pondered.

Sabrina nodded as the phone began to ring.

Quick-draw Bosley answered before it completed the first ring. "Hi, Charlie, all set." He punched the speaker button.

"Good morning, Angels," the familiar voice greeted us.

"Morning."

"Charlie, tell me we haven't been hired to hunt down a stolen toaster," I joked, sinking into the couch.

"What?" His reply came after a beat.

Charlie always had that way of sounding so serious and all-knowing; I secretly enjoyed poking a hole in that image and confusing him once in a while.

"We'll get to that in a minute," Bosley interrupted, handing Kris a photo. "First things first: meet Robert Steadley."

"Formerly our client, but now the subject of our investigation," Charlie explained.

"And what has Mr. Steadley done?" Kris asked, hopping onto the arm of the couch next to me and handing me the photo. It showed a pudgy guy, maybe mid-40's, bad combover.

"He's gone missing. Several days ago, he called and said he wanted to hire us just as soon as we became available. He seemed agitated."

"What'd he want to hire us for?" Sabrina asked, taking the picture from me.

"I couldn't get many details out of him, not even about that. When I didn't hear back from him, I just assumed he hadn't been very serious about hiring us."

"Yes, prospective clients do flake out from time to time," Bosley said.

"Right. But when I learned that the police have since put an APB out on him, the coincidence seemed too great."

"So you think his disappearance must tie in with whatever he wanted to hire us for," I said.

"It seems that way, Kelly. If this man called me for help, I want to see that he gets it."

"Well then, what do we have to start with?" Kris asked.

"Not much, I'm afraid," Charlie answered. "But it sounded like our investigation was going to have something to do with his business. You have the background check there, Bosley?"

"Yessir, I've got a copy right in front of me. His business is Steadley Appliance and Electronics, a small repair shop in Inglewood."

"Ok, we'll check it out."

"I also learned that he was apparently last seen about a week ago at his apartment. You might try looking around there as well," Charlie added.

"Inglewood too?" I asked.

"Pasadena," Bosley corrected, peering down at the readout. "I'll copy these addresses for you."

"Ok then, I guess we'll head out and see if we can't find something interesting going on," Sabrina said. "I'll take the apartment. Who's coming with me?"

"I guess it'll have to be me," Kris grinned, "since Kelly's got her cover all cut out for her."

I rolled my eyes.

"Alright, let's get crackin'," she laughed. "We'll call you, Bos."

"Okay. Good luck."

The three of us headed downstairs and outside. Kris caught my eye as she opened the passenger door of Sabrina's car, and winked. "Careful."

If she didn't always say that, I might have reassured her that my biggest risk today was maybe burning my finger. Instead I pointed back - you be careful too - and got into my car.


	3. Step one

I parked on La Brea and dug around in my purse seeking change to feed the meter. Every time I used one I had a momentary flashback to my monotonous ticket-writing days, and every time I was glad they were a thing of the past.

The shop front was tiny. Bells jingled over my head as I came in the door. A wiry, dark-haired man looked up from behind the counter.

"Hello," he said, folding his newspaper. "What have we got there?"

"Toast trouble," I said, raising it for him to see.

"We get a lot of that," he smiled. "You've come to the right place."

"Great. How long do you think it'll take?"

"Tomorrow, probably. They haven't made one yet I couldn't fix."

"Ah, are you the owner?" I asked as innocently as possible, pointing at their company name on the wall. "My friend recommended this place, she said Steadley got her oven fixed right up like new."

"No, my name's Gillis. I just help out," he answered good-naturedly.

"Ah. Is he here?"

"'Fraid not. Never spends all his time here anyway. But your toaster should be ready tomorrow, probably. Let me get one of these things filled out." He busied himself jotting things on a little paper. I was disappointed he didn't volunteer much information like I was hoping, but I guessed I should be used to that by now.

A door behind the counter opened and another man emerged, a big man with a weather-beaten face and sandy hair. He forced a polite smile for me, did what might have been a double-take, and then took a deep breath as if he'd forgotten what he came out for.

"Hey… uh, can you take a look at this fan back here for a second?" he asked.

"Yeah, just a minute." Gillis looked up at me momentarily, and nodded towards the other man. "This is Mr. Raft, he does some electrical stuff."

"Hi," I smiled.

"Hi there. Uh… kind of in a hurry, Gil." He met my inquisitive look. "It's… I just got it working, don't know how long it'll last, you know how those things are," he laughed, seeming somehow insincere.

"Ok. Sorry, miss, I'll just be a second," Gillis said, putting down his pen.

"Sure."

They disappeared through the doorway. I wondered if this guy was nervous, or just the nervous type, or if I was being too suspicious. Being left alone didn't do me much good; I finished all my looking around in 2 seconds. There was absolutely nothing to see. In a minute Gillis returned alone.

"Sorry about that," he said, sliding his slip of paper over to me. "Ok, need you to put a number where we can reach you, and sign at the bottom."

I did. He tore a perforation in the paper and gave me part of it.

"Is there a number on here where I can contact the owner?" I asked.

"Just the store number, it's at the top. We'll be seein' ya," he said, now unsmiling.

I had more questions, but I got the feeling that if I wanted to keep things cheerful, this interview was over.

"Alright, take care."

I jingled back out of there and climbed into my car, disappointed that I'd gotten basically no new information. I picked up the phone and dialed Sabrina's car; when there was no answer, I tried the office.

"Townsend Agency."

"Hey Bos, it's me."

"Oh hi, Kelly. Were you in and out already?"

"Yeah, and I didn't really get anything, either. They just said Steadley wasn't there, and it might have been my imagination but the guy seemed a tad uptight once I asked about him a couple times. The place is so small there was really no hope of getting back there and looking around without being right under their noses."

"Well, people getting uptight is usually a good indicator that you're close to something. Maybe he bears looking into through another approach, do you know his name?"

"Gillis. And there was another guy there named Raft."

I heard paper shuffling. "Here we are... full names Troy Gillis and Marten Raft. They're both listed as employees. I'll see if I can find out some more about them."

"Great."

"And cheer up… at least if that turned out to be a dead end, you'll be eating toast again soon."

"Yippee," I said dryly, dropping the slip into my purse. "Heard from Kris and Bri?"

"Not yet, I imagine they're still poking around Pasadena."

"Hmm. Well, does Charlie have anything else for me to do right now? If not, I guess I'll go help them poke."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll tell them if they call."

"Ok, catch you later."

"Bye."

I turned out of my parking space and tried to remember the easiest way to Pasadena.


	4. Detour

I didn't feel like working today. I wanted it to be tomorrow. Tomorrow would be Friday. Friday's the weekend. I rarely knew how late I'd have to work today, and rarely knew what my job would entail tomorrow. All I knew was the faded blue Chevy looming in my rearview mirror was starting to get on my nerves. It was the only other car around, and the guy had to be right on my tail.

"Go ahead," I murmured, moving over to the rightmost side of the road, leaving more than enough room to pass.

It drifted past my window... and was quite a long time in the drifting. I shot a sideways glance, and was surprised to recognize Raft and Gillis. Both were looking at me.

"Uh-oh."

Gillis made a motion to me from the passenger seat, trying to get me to pull over. I had no intention of pulling over; this wasn't right at all. Nothing about my toaster could be this urgent.

I pressed on the gas. Raft and Gillis caught up in moments and there was a sharp jolt as they bumped the back of my car.

Well, now it was official. This was time to call for help.

My fingers found the phone and thumbed only two digits before another tremendous crash knocked the receiver from my hand. My rear window shattered. I swerved, tires throwing up a cloud of dirt impossible to see through. I had to jam on the brakes before I crashed into anything.

Before I could even see what was going on, Raft and Gillis were already outside my window with guns. There was a third man I hadn't seen before, who had a short beard and long, slicked-back greasy hair.

Well, this case had sure gone to hell quickly. It wouldn't do much good to get my gun out now – they'd just take it away. Maybe if I played my cards right, they wouldn't even know I had one.

"Out of the car," Raft ordered. "Keep your hands up where I can see them."

That unpleasant warm prickly feeling crawled up the back of my neck, the one I sometimes liked to think of as my sixth sense - the result of detective experience and female intuition, plus a hearty dose of all-around paranoia. Occasionally it really did warn me of danger ahead, but this time the sensation was a little too late to be helpful.

I did as I was told and got out of the car. Raft grabbed me by the elbow and pulled me away from my Mustang, while the stranger got into it. He peered downward for a moment, and then raised the phone to his ear, looking at me. I gulped. There could only be a dial tone, right? If they knew I tried to call someone, it could have gotten a lot worse. With a loud snap he yanked the cord right out of the console, and dropped the receiver in the dirt.

Next he took a moment to poke through my purse and finally stood again, pocketing my gun without comment. He re-slicked the strings of his hair that had melted free, and eyed me analytically for a moment.

"You're being awful quiet. For a woman." His voice sounded like he had something stuck in his throat.

"I thought maybe you'd tell me what's going on." Their actions so far had spoken loud enough. What was I supposed to say?

"Huh. Figured she'd be screamin' her head off," he said to the others.

"Who's going to hear me?" I gestured around at the wide stretch of nothing. No cars on the road in either direction.

"Yep," he said, either smiling or squinting the sun out of his eyes. "Don't seem half stupid, after all. That's why we come to pay you this little visit."

"To compliment me, I suppose."

"Y'aren't gonna like it, but you're free to take it as a compliment if you want." He seemed a little amused with himself. I must have missed the joke.

Raft interrupted. "Come on, let's get going before somebody sees us."

"Right," the third man agreed. "Gil, take care of the car."

Raft pulled me toward the Chevy, and I heard the jingle of keys being tossed. I knew this might be my last chance to get away, but with two guns still pointed at me, there was little chance.

I got into the back seat and Raft after me. The third man got behind the wheel and carefully smoothed his hair with both hands before starting the engine.

"Where are we going?"

"A little place of ours," he answered, meeting my eyes momentarily in the rear view mirror. "See, you're in our way, lady. And we got to get you out of the way. Nothing personal. Just like it inn't anything personal you looking for us." I was lost, so I stayed quiet and hoped his ramblings would clue me in on something. "It's just too bad you're so nosy. Like a curious little kitty. And everybody knows what happens to them."

"Huh?" I frowned. I meant to look confused, although I didn't have to try very hard.

"Too late to start playing stupid, lady. We know you're pokin' around, and we know why," Raft said.

"And I bet," the rearview mirror smiled, "I just bet you anything that your friends are going to turn up soon, too."

"What are you talking about, what friends? Do you do this to everybody who comes into your shop? And who are you, anyway?" I finally demanded.

"Name's Coby," he replied. "And you can drop all that stuff. We know who you are, you and Townsend and your little girlfriends. We been more than ready for you."

I tried not to let the surprise show on my face.

"The less you talk, lady, the better," Raft advised, tightening his grip on the revolver before I could speak.

At the moment, I didn't have much to say.


	5. The drop

**I'm glad some people are liking the first-person POV, I was a little worried about it.**

**Remember kids, reviews make life worthwhile… I know more than 2 people are reading this story ;)**

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We drove in silence, away from the highway and down streets I wasn't familiar with. I was hoping for a nice busy part of town, any town, but the buildings got smaller, sparser, and less inviting until it was more rock-strewn desert than city.

I spent the ride trying to figure out what the heck was going on. How on earth did they catch on so quickly? I knew something had been funny in the shop. They must have recognized my name from somewhere. No… Raft had acted strangely before I signed that paper, before they could have possibly known my name. In fact, I could almost swear he recognized my face. And maybe he took Gillis in the back room to tip him off, because when he came out he was acting weird too. But still, why did they have any reason to know me?

Finally we stopped in front of one run-down little building with boarded-up windows. Paint had long faded, cracked and peeled in the sun where some company's lettering had once been. Coby got out of the car.

"Ok, let's get this done and put her with the other one. Leave the keys. I'll wait here," Raft said from the backseat.

'_Other one'? _I thought.

"Wait a minute, why's it gotta be me?" Coby bounced back, slamming his car door.

"Aww, why, does that bother a sensitive little guy like you?"

Coby bristled. "Come on." He grabbed my arm and pulled me out, dropping the car keys on the seat where I'd been.

We went inside the building. It was completely empty inside apart from a few discarded beer bottles and litter on the floor; we just stopped a few steps in and stood.

"Are you going to kill me?" I was already pretty sure the answer was yes, but a little clarification never hurt anybody.

"Yep," he answered calmly, and cocked his gun.

Sometimes when people intended to kill me, they'd first sit me down and tell long, dramatic tales like I was some kind of psychiatrist at gunpoint. Perhaps a sob story about their life, or who's to blame for all their bad choices, or how they got into whatever the situation was. At very least, they'd make sure I knew _why_ they were killing me.

Not this guy. I could see that if I didn't speak immediately, he was going to shoot, and I didn't get a do-over.

"Well before you do, will you at least tell me what's going on?" I asked, knowing I should try to get my scoop now in the unlikely event that I'd find a way out of this.

"What do you care now?" He squinted, hesitating.

"If I'm going to be dead in a second, I might as well find out what I've been trying to find out," I shrugged. "Did you kill Robert Steadley?"

His eyes snapped to mine and he looked slightly surprised, even though the whole gang apparently knew all about me. Although, I didn't know what exactly it was they knew about me, or even if they were completely right.

"Nah, it was Gillis..." He looked like he was going to continue, but didn't.

I had just been wondering if this Steadley guy was dead or alive; now I'd hit the jackpot with a murder and a name to pin it on. This was information too good to die with. I dug deeper.

"Why?"

"Oh…had bit of a disagreement about using his place for a little business on the side. A man that says yes and then says no... well, he just can't be trusted." Once more he ran his free hand back over his hair.

"What side business?"

"Lady, what are you stalling for? You got no hope." He was starting to get agitated. I thought maybe I'd better stop before he got angry… but on the other hand, he already planned to kill me, so I didn't have much to lose.

I shrugged again. "Like you said, just a curious kitty. What's it hurt to tell me that one last little thing?" I asked. That was one question too many.

"You think we're playing 20 questions?" he snapped. "No, you're through. You wanna take a nice look around, cause it's the last thing y-"

I kicked high and hard. My foot connected with his wrist and the gun jumped straight up in the air and then straight down, clattering to the floor. He scrambled for it, thankfully not thinking too much before trying to catch it. I fired my other foot into his chin and sent him tumbling backwards, and before anything else could happen, I grabbed that revolver from the floor and ran.

I couldn't believe that had worked. But in the next few seconds I was full of regrets - the fact that I had just run away from a situation where I had the upper hand, and might have been able to end this whole thing; the fact that I hadn't been more careful in the first place; the fact that I definitely just pulled something in my leg with that high kick.

Outside I rushed for cover. Coby still had his own gun, so I was still in trouble, but at least I could hold my own in a shootout. I got down behind a large rock, baked in the sun and hot to the touch.

"Idiot! What the hell happened!" I heard a shout from afar and sighed; it sure hadn't taken Raft long to get back out of that car and screw things up. There went my hope of surprising him.

I looked around, trying to figure out my next move. There was another building a little way down the road. Aside from that, it was just the three of us and a bunch of rocks and bushes. Not a lot to work with.

Peeking out, I spotted Raft and fired off a shot. Missed. Metal struck rock very close to my head, and I ducked back to safety. Adrenaline pounded through my chest.

I popped up again and took aim at the first one I could see in the bright sunlight, Coby. At my shot he hollered and fell to where I couldn't see him. I hoped he was down for the count; if they spread out and came at me from different directions I'd have no chance.

Then I wasted what turned out to be my last bullet on another bad shot at Raft.

_Shit._

Now, I had to get to Coby. My only hope was to get his gun. More importantly, I couldn't let Raft get to it first, or I would be in even bigger trouble.

Trying to keep an eye on Raft, I began on a route of little hiding places. Of course, Coby might not be dead, or even disarmed, but at this point that chance had to be taken.

I cringed as another bullet ricocheted near me, and another, although at least they kept me aware of his location. Either he was a really bad shot or I was really lucky. Hopefully both.

I reached Coby. There was blood. I'd expected it, but I still didn't relish seeing it. It looked like I'd missed him after all. He must have been slipped and hit his head- there was no pulse. I was getting more nervous each second that I didn't hear Raft. Thanks to the gunfire, all sound was muffled and replaced by a piercing, high-pitched ringing. The sensation was nauseating. I spotted the gun.

"Don't move an inch." Raft's voice startled me - I looked up. He was only a few feet away, gun pointed at me. I didn't even know where he'd come from. "Toss it over here."

Obediently I threw my empty revolver, shorting it on purpose just to annoy him. His eyes darted down to it, to Coby's gun in the dirt, and back up to me.

Then it dawned on me that his gun was empty too; he must be bluffing. Otherwise, he would have just shot me as soon as he had the chance. I looked at him, he looked at me, and we both knew what the other was thinking.

We leapt simultaneously for the only gun with bullets. I was faster, but he was stronger; he began to wrestle it out of my grasp. I squeezed the trigger repeatedly, firing shots in the air, wanting to waste all his ammunition before he got it out of my grasp, and maybe attract some attention as a bonus. He pried it from my fingers and gave me a shove backwards.

_Time to make a break for it... again. _

It was probably no use heading for the road – I don't think I'd even seen another car for the later part of our drive here. He'd certainly catch up with me. I turned and ran downhill, zigzagging like crazy, heading for that other building.

He fired once with what must have been his only remaining bullet. It could have been my imagination, but I swore I heard it whiz right past my ear.

"You got no chance!" he shouted, his heavy footsteps plodding right behind me.

_Shitshitshitshit._

I just ran as fast as my legs would carry me.


	6. Out of the frying pan

I was almost there when Raft managed to grab hold of my shirt and tackle me. We hit the ground and rolled, struggling, stirring up clouds of dirt. I landed on my back on a rock that hurt like hell; my elbow hit something else and throbbed. Raft was just too strong - none of my moves did any good. He landed a solid punch on my jaw, jarring me senseless, and pinned my arms down.

I breathed hard, coughed, feeling the sweat on my forehead and the cloudless afternoon sky blinding me. The world spun slowly; I half expected to see little cartoon birds circling my head. I wished his ugly shadow would at least shade my eyes from the sun.

Nobody had ever really punched me in the face before; it was a lot more painful than it looked. I was not just hurt but surprised, almost offended, as if that had been off-limits. People had tried to stab me, shoot me, run me over and burn me alive, but some part of me was still saying 'tsk tsk tsk, how dare you strike a lady...'

"I don't need a gun to kill you." His breath smelled.

"Maybe you don't need to kill me… at all," I panted, trying any half-baked idea I could come up with. "Think about it. You didn't kill that guy… you can get out of this without much trouble. Maybe even without getting…picked up. But not if you kill me... then you'll be on the run."

"They want me for more than speedin' tickets already, sugar."

I didn't doubt he had a record, or even that he'd killed someone else we didn't know about. I tried to think of something else, and he continued.

"You know, maybe it's a good thing that gun was empty. Seems kind of a waste, just killin' you right off..." his face turned to that ugly smile again.

And, there it was. I'd been tied to the tracks with this same train of thought headed toward me before. Why did they always have to go there?

"Get off me," I growled. He just looked amused.

I did all I could do, which was to spit in his eye. He was taken back for half a second and I used it to squirm and kick with every ounce of my strength. I wasn't strong enough to wrench my hands free, but I did scratch his knuckles to ribbons. I managed to knee him in the groin, and then it was easier to push him off. Finally I punched him in the face for good measure. He wasn't going anywhere for a minute.

I ran into the parking lot of that nearest building. It was a warehouse or something, and up closer my heart sank to realize that it was definitely abandoned. Several window panes were broken, and parts of the roof sagged. But maybe there was a phone, or at least something to defend myself with…

Even in its dilapidated state, the lock on the door was still holding up… of course. I ran around the other side of the building to where there were low windows, and climbed into the darkness.

~*~

My eyes took a minute to adjust inside the building. It looked like it used to be some kind of factory, maybe. The ceiling was very high, with long beams, and there was a narrow second level walkway around most of the perimeter. The center was a vast flat space, strewn with filth and debris with big metal storage bins, junk, some kind of old machine equipment all over. Large pipes ran every which way along the walls. A long vacant bird's nest sat in the corner of one of the high beams, just as fallen-apart as the building itself.

I went along the walls, trying to see if there was a separate room, an office area, anything. The only door I found led to more of the same stuff, just in a smaller room. My eyes scanned the walls, looking for anything that could help.

My heart skipped a beat as I spotted what I had actually been hoping for: a phone mounted on the wall. Part of my brain already knew there was no way it was connected to anything, but the part that controlled my legs was more naive; I was already bounding toward that phone like a kid heading for the tree on Christmas morning. I yanked the receiver up and held it to my ear.

Dead silence was hardly a surprise; back on the wall it went. I brushed my hair back out of my face, trying to stay calm and think for a second.

Noises came from across the building- I went back to the doorway and I peeked out. Raft was climbing in through a window right where I'd come in. He had caught up a lot more quickly than I expected.

_Okay. I'll just say cool and keep an eye on him. If I can sneak out without him knowing, I'll have time to run back up to the road and hope for a little traffic. In the meantime... I could hide in this room. No... that would be the first place he'd look. In fact, it WILL be the first place he looks - _myfingers felt the knob_ - …and there's a lock on the door. I can trap him. _

I snuck aside for the right vantage point, hiding myself near the door.

Sure enough, it didn't take long before I heard him coming. He was trying to be quiet, doing a very good job, just not quite good enough. Grit on the floor gave him away, crackling faintly under his shoes. He appeared there, eyeing the door. I stared intently at the back of his head and the dirt on his jacket.

_Yes, I must be in there. That's the only place a stupid girl would hide, right? Open the door. Go on._ For a change I felt like the predator instead of the prey, finally the one watching from the shadows and knowing what the other didn't. I caught myself enjoying it.

He grasped the handle and swung the door open in one motion, expecting to find me.

I sprang, shoving him forward into the room. Quickly I grabbed for the handle, afraid I'd fumble it and take too long to turn the lock. I pulled the door shut. There wasn't long - he was just off balance, not unconscious. It clicked shut. He was locked in.

_Yes!!_

I moved away quickly, seeing and hearing the knob rattle. My cue to exit.

There was a loud pop, wood splintering. I screamed a little, startled. He had shot the lock. He must have brought extra bullets and reloaded.

…_Nooo! Dammit._

Now I was up that same creek all over again.

I ran from the door which was shuddering as he tried to shove his way through it. An instant later I heard it give way behind me, and footsteps stumbling out, and a brief string of curses.

Well, time for plan B. Or by now, probably more like plan H. All I could do was to find a somewhat secluded little nook, hunker down, and try to listen for anything except the sound of my own racing heartbeat. I crouched behind some big lumpy shape with a tarp pulled over it. As long as I heard absolutely nothing, I reasoned, it was my safest bet to keep still as a statue.

My enthusiasm about this tactic faded quickly over a time that felt like hours. My legs burned from holding a position I was too afraid to shift for fear of making a sound. I felt stupid. This could no longer be called a pause - I was flat out hiding. Wasn't I supposed to be able to take care of myself? And, logically, was it doing me any good? I may have been buying time, but time for what? Kris, Sabrina and Bosley must know by now that something had happened to me, but it wasn't like they were on their way to rescue me. They couldn't possibly have any idea where I was. _I_ didn't even know where I was.

"Come on out..." Raft's voice echoed. I was glad that he was getting tired of this too. "Kelly." He added. I knew he knew my name, but it was still kind of startling to hear him say it.

Getting to my feet carefully, I looked in the direction his voice had come. I hoped he was feeling chatty; maybe I could figure out where he was if he'd keep talking. It took ages for him to speak again.

"Not doing yourself any good," he said loudly.

_Yes, yes, keep talking._

I followed his voice.

"It can happen in ten hours or we can get it over with now. Believe me lady, I don't care."

Briefly I wondered why he wasn't being more careful about giving away his location; then I remembered the whole point of this was that he had a gun and I didn't. Maybe the stale heat in this place was starting to get to me.

After a great deal of creeping around at an agonizingly slow and silent pace, I finally spotted him just standing in an open space. I was almost annoyed that he hadn't really been making an effort to hide at all, but I supposed he didn't have to. Well, now it was time to get this show on the road. I picked up a rusty screw from the floor and threw it toward a far corner of the building. It bounced audibly somewhere on the cement floor. I held my breath to see what would happen.

My wild goose chase ended before it started; he hadn't budged. Maybe he'd recognized a thrown object as the oldest distraction in the book. Or maybe he hadn't heard it at all.

"Keeeeeeeeee-llyyyyyyy."

Hair on the back of my neck stood up. I absolutely loathed hearing my name come out of his mouth.

After getting my nerve back up I decided a more daring approach was in order, and took some intentionally loud steps. After several minutes I caused a deafening clatter by pushing over some boards leaning against the wall. My bait got more and more obvious until I'd done everything but raise a giant neon arrow over myself. He never strayed more than a few paces from where I'd found him. What the heck was he waiting for?

The windows were fading fast; dusk was approaching. This was a bad enough situation even when well-lit; in the dark, it was only going to get worse.

Since he couldn't seem to be lured away from that spot for anything, I figured that I might as well try to leave. If I made a lot of noise in the process, it would be nothing new by now. I leaned back and forth, searching for the nearest window I could get through.

Only then did the light bulb go on over my head.

There were only four windows in the whole building low enough to climb through, all close together in a row – they were the ones we both had come in through – and that's exactly where Raft was standing. Guarding them. He'd figured out hours ago that they were the only way I could leave this building quietly. Any other way, I'd have to climb up high, or force a door, and there was no way I could escape before he got to me. He hadn't been looking for me, because he didn't _have_ to. I felt like kicking myself for not thinking of it first.

_Greeeeeat job, Kelly. You deserve a raise for this one._

I sat down feeling very discouraged.

"Paging Miss Kelly Garrett." A self-amused chuckle followed. I shook my head.

So, it looked like a stalemate. One of us eventually had to let our guard down. I just had to make sure it wasn't me.


	7. Kelly watch the stars

**There's a song called Kelly Watch the Stars, that's supposed to be about Kelly Garrett. I don't know its significance at all, so I wrote my own into the story.**

**Also, I want you all to know that I refused to put in a footnote here explaining what episode is being referred to. You're smarter than that. ;)**

* * *

Here I sat in just about total blackness, with a white-knuckle grip on my new weapon of choice, a short metal pipe, trying to remember exactly how I'd gotten myself into this.

The air was still, stifling. Impossible to see my hands in front of my face. The very last smidgeon of light from the windows had faded long ago. I yawned. My mouth was drier than the Sahara and my ears ached from the ringing of silence. How could nothing be so loud?

All sorts of thoughts started to drift through my mind. I might not be the only life form in this little space. Bugs. Snakes. Scorpions. Why did I have to think of that? Now I started to imagine things crawling on my skin. I swatted at them whether they were real or imagined.

Near sensory deprivation made me more uneasy with each passing minute. At least I had two senses left for sure, because it smelled weird in here, and my whole body hurt. I was dying to stretch my legs; I hadn't stood up straight since I came in here, and my back ached from crouching. Still, I was glad for it. Even if the sensations weren't pleasant, they were something instead of nothing. And truth be told, I was more afraid of nothingness than of threats or guns.

I had too many memories of huddling in blackness, just waiting, praying, crying as silently as I could. That had been the scariest thing of all, as a child. I'd learned that I would rather face a little swift pain than wait in the dark for hours.

All perception of time had gone out the window for me. I would have sworn that I'd been in this exact spot in the dark for 40 hours, if it weren't for the fact that the night's darkness didn't last that long. What if it had only been 40 minutes? I caught myself trying to count seconds. I shouldn't do that. I'd go crazy.

"Kelly." Just a whisper, so quiet I wondered if I had only imagined it.

_I really heard that, right? I'm not just going crazy? Nah… you haven't been in here long enough to start going crazy. _

I wished he wouldn't whisper. Why was it so damn creepy the way he kept doing that? I knew he was just trying to scare me. But it was kind of working.

_I'm not going to allow myself to be terrorized. That's all there is to it. I don't have to be any more afraid of him than I decide to be. I don't have to be afraid at all; I just have to be careful. I can kick his ass. And as soon as it gets light again, I'm going to do it. _

My eyes burned under heavy lids. It felt good to close them… but just for a second.

I was so tired of hiding, tired of trying to stay silent, tired of counting bullets, tired of being hunted, and just plain tired. But I couldn't sleep, couldn't let my guard down. I had no guarantee he wouldn't come looking for me, just because he hadn't so far. Sooner or later, he was going to get tired of waiting, and he wasn't just going to leave after investing all this time. No, he was going to come find me and get the job done. My only comfort was the fact that he couldn't see me any better than I could see him.

I wondered what Kris and Sabrina and Bosley were up to. If they were out somewhere looking for me, or if they'd called it a night and gone to bed. Kris was too much of a worrier; she couldn't possibly be asleep.

I was worrying too; one of these guys had definitely said they knew about Kris and Sabrina. I couldn't remember the actual words, or which man had said it, but that was beside the point. Were they in danger, too? Coby was out of the picture, and Raft was busy here with me. But what about Gillis? I hoped – prayed – that when he split, he split for good. Maybe taken my car and skipped town.

I leaned my head back, sick of thinking about all of this. I looked upward. A few stars shone through a little hole in the collapsed roof. It was a drop of peacefulness, a tiny oasis that helped reassure me of sanity and reality.

Those same stars that I had gazed at in good times and bad, those same stars that had always been there for me and for everyone else. Old world explorers navigating by the stars. Scientists and astronauts. People on the Titanic. Children wanting to fly a cardboard rocket to the moon.

My mother had looked at these same stars. Everyone did – she must have. Maybe long ago, maybe right now. Were they a refuge and a fascination for her, too? Did they make her feel tiny, overwhelmed to the point of peacefulness? If things had gone differently, someday would my father have gotten down on his knee and pointed into the sky, teaching me about the constellations?

Many nights in the orphanage I'd stare out the window at the stars when I was supposed to be asleep, but sleep wouldn't come. I used to wait for the big dipper because it was the only one I knew. I'd smile when I could see it, like a friend had come to visit me in secret while everyone else slept. And then, while I felt like it was watching over me, sometimes I could close my eyes and go to sleep.

I always tried not to let myself think too much about that, since it served no point except sorrow and self-pity. But ultimately it was one of the things I thought about most. My lack of parents and family hadn't ruined my life. Changed, of course – and certainly not for the better - but not ruined. I was happy now, more than I'd ever been. Even happier than I'd been for the last few years where I'd considered myself officially happy. And I was NOT going to die now, not when I had that happy life to get back to.

I could remember being a little girl and wondering if I could ever really be happy someday when I was all grown up. I could also remember thinking the same thing as a depressed teenager – of course at that time, I thought I already was all grown up. Maybe remembering that unhappy little girl helped make me a happier adult; maybe I appreciated all of my relationships more.

My thoughts drifted back to my most important relationship of all. Back to warm nights on the beach when we'd stare into the universe, holding hands, our visibility reaching millions of miles to those vast twinkling lights. Just thinking of her made me smile.

I did what I always did in hard times, which was to think hard about how it would be when they ended. I imagined how great it would be to be back safe at home with Kris. Back with the person who loved me most instead of trapped with a person trying to kill me. How she would hug me and feed me and take care of me and let me get some rest. If I concentrated hard enough I could imagine her here with me. The rough wooden boards I was leaning up against were a poor substitute for the comfort of her arms.

I could remember what she was wearing when we left her house this morning. White slacks, red top, hair up in a ponytail. The shoes with the little buckle on the side and the necklace I gave her for Christmas. I honestly didn't know what I was wearing right now.

We were on the way to work without much time to spare. Kris said she didn't feel breakfasty so we ended up getting McDonald's and ate in the car. I ate my hamburger at red lights and she fed me French fries while I drove.

"_What do you think the toaster's about?" she asked._

"_I don't know. You don't think our new case is about toasters, somehow?" We made the same sour expression._

"_Better not be."_

"_It'd still be an improvement over this last one. Even if it's as boring as it sounds, at least we won't be fugitives. Hey!" I lit up. "Maybe we can have our little impostors handle the boring cases for us from now on? And if they don't like it, back to jail they go."_

"_Yeah!" She laughed. "I don't know if they'd really pass for us for long, though. Bosley might get suspicious."_

"_Well, yeah. But Sabrina's her own impostor now, so she'd cover for us."_

"_Even that might not help. They didn't look that much like us."_

"_Really? I didn't think they were too bad."_

"_No way. Well, their Sabrina wasn't too bad. Mine was weird. Yours couldn't cut it. Course, where are they going to find a replacement half as pretty as you?" She gave me another fry._

"_Well, _thas_ true. Mebbe we c' coach 'em," I suggested with my mouth full._

_She began to giggle. "But if they want to know _everything_ about being you and I, oo, wouldn't they have a surprise coming."_

_I laughed._

I startled myself. Had I been sleeping, or just daydreaming… at night? I couldn't afford any slip-ups; just one could cost my life. I opened my eyes wide, trying to clear my head, and looked back to the stars.

_When will this night end?_


	8. Take two

Here I was, still stuck in this grand game of cat-and-mouse, now indescribably grateful for the soft light that had begun to shine through the windows. Morning had arrived.

Raft was sticking to his guns, literally, and I was sick of this whole situation. By now I was less afraid and more annoyed. I was ready for this to be over, and I had to do something about it. But I couldn't get reckless. Fists were one thing; a bullet could change everything in one second.

Only lately had I begun to consider the second level. The walkway ran more or less above his head. I wondered if I could get up there without him noticing. If I could, I might be able to drop something on him. I looked around for something small enough to lift, but heavy enough to do some damage. Only after an embarrassing amount of thought did I remember I'd been sitting on a cinder block for the last several hours.

My eyes followed the walkway, found the stairs leading up, and mapped my route.

_You realize this is a really stupid plan and you're just going to get yourself killed, right?_

Yeah, it was stupid. But I had to do something, and soon – I wasn't exactly feeling better and better as time went on. About to go, I hesitated.

_A cinder block… is that too mean?_

I frowned.

_Too mean? What do you mean, too mean? This guy wants to KILL you, remember?_

A silver cylinder caught my eye.

_There's a fire extinguisher. How about the fire extinguisher instead? That feels… less mean._

_How is a fire extinguisher "less mean" than a cinder block? Damage is the point here._

_Yeah, but…_

I shook my head.

_You're getting silly. Stop talking to yourself and go drop something on him already._

When I reached to pick up the cinder block my hand froze, started again as I reconsidered, and froze again. I took the fire extinguisher.

I climbed the steps to the second level, laying one foot as silently as possible in front of the other. The top step creaked underfoot, and I froze, wincing at it. Miraculously it didn't seem to have drawn Raft's attention. I continued and cautiously began to make my way across the walkway toward him.

Suddenly everything jolted downward. I grasped frantically at nothing as the grating broke, collapsing entirely under me, dumping me down to the floor in a heap of jagged edges and debris. I was stunned for a second by the various pains all competing for my attention. Thankfully nothing felt broken, but there was no way Raft wasn't on his way toward me. I forced myself to my feet and hobbled quickly away from the scene of my crime.

A gunshot rang out from behind, a shrill metal ricochet its reply. I threw myself behind the nearest cover and froze, listening for signs of him approaching. I needed to breathe hard but couldn't make a sound, trying to take slow, deep breaths. If he couldn't hear that, he could probably hear my heart pounding. I was back to being prey, and I didn't like it one bit.

My hip throbbed with pain from the fall. If I was still alive in a couple days, I was interested to see exactly how enormous that bruise was going to be.

A stinging tickle reminded me about my arm - a hole was torn in my sleeve and I was bleeding. It didn't seem very serious, but it was no tiny paper cut either. There was nothing to clean it with, or wrap it in. My hands were so dirty I'd probably do more harm than good anyway, so I left it alone.

"Awwww, hurt yourself, lady?" His voice wasn't scary to me anymore, just irritating.

How did he know I was hurt? Maybe I'd bled on the floor. Maybe he assumed you can't fall through a second story walkway without getting hurt. Either way, I certainly wasn't going to answer him. But I hoped he'd keep talking so I could track him, because now he was moving around. He'd finally gotten fed up with guard duty. Soon his footsteps came closer, and I had to relocate.

My stomach growled, and it seemed like the loudest thing in the world. I wished I had my fire extinguisher back.

~*~

Later on, I realized with a sinking feeling that the windows were not quite as bright as they had been. Another day was ending... and I hated the night. How could I live through that same night again? And that wasn't just an expression- really, would I live through another night?

Now I wasn't just tired from lack of sleep, but also exertion. Raft had now had me on the run all day. From my little accident early in the morning, until now, and it was getting dark again – that was officially all damn day. But he was smart about it. He never got too far away from those stupid windows. I wondered angrily how _he_ was doing so well without food or sleep. He wasn't taunting me anymore, just keeping silent.

I was exhausted, hurting, and scared again now that I was actually being chased. I wanted to call time-out and absolutely bawl like a little kid.

A loud noise startled me – a bang, a louder bang, and a rusty sort of creak. Two seconds later, a gunshot. I drew myself in like a turtle, expecting an explosion of pain, but there was none. I plastered myself to the wall. Another gunshot followed. I rolled forward, dropping flat to the floor on my palms, half choking on my sudden rush of panic and adrenaline. Where was he seeing me from?

Now there were a lot of noises. Shuffling, a crunch, footsteps. What was going on? Why was he so loud all of a sudden? Two more shots followed, and a shout. More shuffling. My ears picked up the almost imperceptible sounds of sneaking nearby. Just around the corner. I readied myself, set on a hair trigger to kick or punch or jump or whatever I had to do when he came forward.

I was a fraction of a second away from swinging with all my strength when I realized it wasn't Raft stepping out in front of me. My jaw dropped.

"Bri?"

"Kelly!" she exclaimed in a whisper, looking just as startled to see me. She relaxed her revolver's aim, pointing it upward, and took hold of my arm. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah," I whispered, still stunned. "What are-"

"We're all here," she reassured me quietly, glancing around. "We got you covered. How many guys are there?"

"Just one."

"Ok. Stick with me."

Like I was going anywhere. She turned and stood before me, eyes peeled, gun ready, just guarding me. I smiled gratefully at the back of her head, still having trouble believing she was here. That they were all here.

_Who else has friends like this?_

And we just listened. For that minute I felt protected… yet at the same time I also felt the most scared of all – it wasn't quite over, and now I wasn't the only one that could get hurt. My breathing stopped.

I saw Sabrina tense as two shots rang out almost simultaneously.

"Drop it!" Bosley's voice ordered from somewhere in the building. We both silently accepted the next noise as a gun falling to the floor.

"That sounded about right," Sabrina said over her shoulder, then shouted into the space of the building. "Everybody okay?"

"Yeah," two shouts overlapped.

"Kelly's here, she's alright!"

I heard my name echo from the other side of the building, this time in Kris's voice. It really was over now. I heaved a sigh of relief.

"C'mon, let's get you out of here. Need a hand?" Sabrina extended hers.

"No, I'm alright," I said, unaware that I was already holding it.


	9. Let's go home

We made our way toward the twilight glow from the main doors that had been forced open. I was glad to feel a little fresh air.

"Kelly!" Kris ran up and threw her arms around me, the collision almost knocking me over. "Kelly, sweetie, are you alright?"

I nodded on her shoulder, locking my arms around her, finally exactly where I wanted to be. "I'm so glad to see you," I breathed. She was crying.

"I'm here, honey… it's okay," she murmured, squeezing me tight. "It- it's okay. It's over." It felt strange hearing reassurances from someone crying harder than I was. Even though I had felt braver than this a minute ago, it was contagious, and I couldn't help but shed a few tears of relief. But after a minute, she was the one still sobbing. I didn't mind holding her until she could pull her head from my shoulder and raise her eyes to mine. I smiled to see my favorite face. She looked like she had been crying a lot, and not just now. There were things we both wanted to say and do, but couldn't, because there were people around.

"Come on, honey." She sniffed, and led me forward.

Just before the doors, there was one more thing to see. My former captor was on the floor, hands clutching his gut, red between his fingers. Bosley stood near him, gun in hand. I heard sirens approaching. Raft's eyes were already locked on mine.

"You're always gonna wonder how it would have ended," he said, still having the nerve to look a little amused. I stared back, refusing to admit that he was right. I _was_ going to wonder. Slowly his stare lost focus and his expression smoothed. The transition to death was almost imperceptible. We were all quiet.

"Are you alright?" Bosley asked, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah."

"Good shot, Bos," Sabrina said.

"It wasn't me," he said, putting his gun away.

Putting 2 and 2 together, we all looked to Kris. She was just looking right back at me.

I could remember the first time she ever shot somebody - not fatally, either – she took it very hard. Now she had shot and killed a man for the first time, without a hint of that reaction. Under her tears was an almost defiant expression. It had been self-defense, of course. But I knew she was glad to be the one that took him down, even if she would never say so. We had this whole conversation in that instant with our eyes.

"Let's go," she said quietly. Her arm went around my other shoulder, and I winced.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No, I…" I looked down, remembering the cut on my arm.

"Oh," she winced when she saw it.

"Just a scratch," I shrugged.

"Well, let's get that taken care of," Kris insisted, tears still in her concerned eyes. "There's an ambulance out here already."

I didn't want to get looked at; I just wanted to go home. But I knew in the end, it would be faster not to argue with her when she was feeling this protective. We went outside.

It wasn't even close to being cold out, but after being cooped up in that stuffy heat for so long, the fresh evening air made me feel sick and clammy. I shivered. Someone shut a car door and I jumped. My nerves were shot, and I tried to keep my hands from shaking too badly.

She took me to the ambulance. If the paramedics spoke to me, I wasn't listening. They gave me some water, which I drained in an instant. I felt it soak into me like I was a brittle old sponge. They bandaged my arm, but the tetanus shot that followed was less welcome. Normally needles didn't faze me, but together with my exhaustion and the disorienting red and blue strobe from the police car ahead, I started to feel a little dizzy. I closed my eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kris asked, her hand moving soothingly on my back.

"Yeah. I just want to go home."

"Okay. Let's go home."

Sabrina's Pinto was parked close, and Sabrina herself had just reappeared. I crawled into the backseat, grateful for a comfortable place to rest.

"I talked to the police," Sabrina told me. "They're still going to need a statement from you, but for right now, I think we can get out of here."

"Miss Munroe?" an officer interrupted. "Excuse me, but we need to ask you a couple of questions."

Kris looked inside the car at me, fretting, and reluctantly let go of my hand for the first time. "Take care of her," she said quietly to Sabrina, and went away with the officer.

"Spoke too soon." Sabrina sat on her heels beside the open car door and was quiet for a minute. "She's serious about you."

"Hm?" I looked up.

"She is. She's…" she shook her head.

"Why do you say that?"

"You haven't seen how she's been. When she saw your car... I never saw her like that."

"What do you mean?" I frowned. "What about my car?"

"You don't know what happened to your car?"

"No?" I frowned.

"They…" she hesitated, not wanting to upset me any further. "Well, we'll talk about everything tomorrow. Just take it easy for now, huh?"

"No tell me, what?"

She sighed, knowing I'd only drag it out of her. "Well, highway patrol called Charlie this morning. They found your car up a bit north in the mountains, not too far from here. Fallen off the edge of the road and burned up."

"Oh. But it's just a car…?"

"Well see, there was... Kelly, it wasn't just the car. There was somebody inside."

"What..."

"All they could tell was that it was a man. Only they didn't know that much- or didn't say so- when they called. So till we got there, we thought…"

"Oh. But... oh." The assumption sunk in.

"Yeah. Charlie didn't want us to go, but we did. She… and I mean, I was… I wasn't doing too good either. But Kris went nuts. They had to hold her back. They told us right away you weren't in there, but… that poor kid. Even for those couple minutes."

"I didn't know…" No wonder Kris was so upset.

"I was never so happy not to see you," she smiled. "But really, all she's been talking about is how…"

"What?"

She shrugged, looking away. I knew Sabrina was uncomfortable with mushy stuff, even relaying messages, and I'd probably never get the actual quote out of her. "Just… she's not just fooling around. I hope you know that."

"I do." I wiped my eyelashes dry.

"Uh… well. Here she comes," she said, getting to her feet. "I'll drive you."

"Thanks."

Kris climbed into the back with me, automatically pulling me close. There were a million things I wanted to say and ask, but too tired for any of them, I just rested against her shoulder. And when the car was moving and nobody would see, she kissed me softly on the lips.


	10. Good pancakes

I was only half aware of the drive home. My bed had been another welcome sight; I collapsed on it like a ton of bricks.

My night had passed in a fitful half-sleep. I was both wired and exhausted, plagued by vague and instantly forgotten dreams. Each time I'd open my eyes, I'd find myself with Kris, still wrapped in her arms, and freshly remember what had happened. She was there all night to stroke my hair soothingly and whisper comforting things. This had really been worth the silver lining; I don't think I'd ever felt so cared for or safe in my life. Eventually she drifted off, and for a while I just looked at the outline of her profile in the moonlight. It was pretty clear that her last night had been as sleepless as mine.

I'd felt something else warm and heavy on my leg; I glanced down to see a big black blob curled up at my feet. Albert normally wasn't allowed on the bed, but I was feeling too loved to complain. I smiled and put my head back on Kris's shoulder, and soon I was fast asleep.

~*~

My eyes had already been open for a long time before I admitted I was awake.

"Hey."

I rolled to see Kris sitting on the edge of my bed, smiling.

"Hey."

"How're you feeling?"

"Okay," I said, sitting up. Lots of places were stiff and sore, but I was fine. I knew it must be late; the sun didn't look right. "What time is it?"

"Almost one."

"Whoa." My feeling of guilt from oversleeping was automatic and I glanced at my clock, wondering how I had slept through my weekday alarm.

"I turned it off," she answered my unasked question. "You needed your rest."

I smiled thank you.

She just looked at me for a long time, staring into my eyes in a way nobody else ever had or could. Total attentiveness, absolute sincerity, the same look of pure adoration I often regarded her with. I didn't have to wonder what she was thinking. Finally she spoke almost silently, "I love you."

"I love you too."

She brushed a hair from my cheek, leaned in and kissed me softly at the corner of my lips. I leaned my head against hers. I didn't know how to tell her how sweet and attentive she had been. Our moment ended when I was startled by a minor clatter from the other room.

"Breakfast in the works," she explained. "And Bosley's on his way over. Now I better go check on the chef and make sure she isn't burning your house down. Why don't you take a nice hot shower, and we'll be ready to eat by the time you're out?"

"That sounds good."

Injuries revealed themselves one by one as I stood and took my first steps. They, too, had rested over the night and matured into serious aches and pains. I dragged myself into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

My first look in the mirror was startling; I looked like a wreck. I felt the side of my jaw gingerly, not sure if my face was a little swollen or if I just imagined it because of the pain. As I undressed I discovered many bumps and bruises, unable to remember the stories that went with all of them.

The warm water felt nice. I tilted my head back and let it run through my hair, relaxing and letting my mind wander. Thinking about what Sabrina had told me about Kris and the car. I was sorry to have given her – and everybody – a scare like that. What would I ever do if I ever got that call, if I ever saw her Cobra smashed and burnt, thinking she had been inside...

A long and relaxing shower would have been nice, but with my stomach demanding just the opposite, I got out of my dirt and into my bathrobe as quickly as possible. Bosley and Sabrina wouldn't be appalled to see me this way, I decided, so I skipped dressing and wrapped my wet hair in a towel.

I came out to find both women in my kitchen, Sabrina at the counter pouring orange juice into a row of glasses.

"Hey, there she is," she smiled. "How you doing, Kel?"

"Never better," I replied, picking up on the aroma of coffee. "Oh, that smells good."

"Go on and sit down, honey." Kris said.

"Thanks." I took a seat.

Sabrina followed me to the table with coffee and a stack of pancakes was set in front of me. "Dig in."

I didn't need to be told. I'd already wolfed down the first one before I remembered that syrup even existed.

"Uh... everybody likes their eggs scrambled, right?" Kris asked from the kitchen.

"I do."

"I was thinking over medium," Sabrina replied.

"Well, keep thinking about it while you eat these scrambled ones. I already made them."

Sabrina rolled her eyes at me, pouring her own syrup. I smirked.

In a minute Kris came and set down a plate heaped in yellow scramble.

"Whoa, easy there," she warned, seeing my enormous first bite. "My Heimlich's a little rusty."

I chuckled, too preoccupied with my breakfast to think up a joke to toss back.

Albert sat patiently at the side of my chair, silently hoping for a handout. I'd all but forgotten about him.

"Aw, you must be hungry!"

"It's ok, we fed him yesterday. And this morning." Kris waved her hand. "He's just being greedy."

"Ah, thanks. Albert, don't be greedy."

"How can't he be greedy if you're such a pushover?" Sabrina asked as I tossed him a little bit of egg anyway.

"I can't leave him out of a perfectly good breakfast," I defended, and then paused. "Wait, I've been out of pancake mix. Which one of you made these?"

"I did," Sabrina answered.

"Really?"

"Yes?" She answered, raising her eyebrows. "Why?"

"No, I just… they're really good." I didn't want her to take it the wrong way that I was a little impressed. Not that pancakes were difficult, but she wasn't overly blessed with a talent for cooking.

"Well, thanks."

The next time I glanced up from my plate I caught her in mid-glare, and following its direction, found Kris with an odd expression.

"What," I asked, looking back and forth.

Nobody said anything.

"Wha-aat."

"Nothing. Just sure are… gooood pancakes," Kris said, twirling a forkful and admiring it. Her lips were moving in very strange ways in a failing effort to keep a straight face.

Something was up. I inspected my remaining half circle suspiciously.

"What's going on?" I narrowed my eyes. "Did you put something weird in these?"

"No!" Sabrina said defensively. "They're just good pancakes, is that alright with you?"

"I- yeah…" I looked back to Kris for help. She was now vibrating with silent laughter. I drummed my fingers on the table.

Finally she caught her breath and relented. "She went and bought some mix. She wanted to see if you'd believe she made them," she said, taking another bite quickly to occupy her mouth.

"I did _make_ them," Sabrina added immediately, doing a spatula pantomime. "And anyway, I don't know why you think it's so funny," she continued at Kris, snatching an orange from the bowl in the middle of the table. "I mean, would it be such a big surprise that I could be capable of making some decent pancakes?"

"I _believed_ you," I countered, beginning to smile myself.

"Then what are you laughing at?"

"I don't know. She's laughing… it's just funny."

"You guys wear me down," she grumbled, scowling at her orange as she peeled it.

The doorbell rang.

"Probably Bos, I'll get it," Kris volunteered, dabbing her mouth and scooting out of her chair.

I heard him coming in, and turned in my chair. He had a cardboard box under one arm and a paper bag in his hand.

"Hello hello," he said cheerfully. "Feeling better?"

"Much," I smiled. "What've you got there?"

He handed me the box. I opened the flaps and began laughing as soon as I saw the brand new toaster inside.

"And some ammunition," he said, extracting a loaf of Wonder bread from his paper bag. "We all thought you deserved a new one."

"You're never getting the old one back. It's evidence now," Sabrina said through a mouthful of pancakes.

"Thanks, everybody," I laughed.

"Well, now we gotta have some toast," Kris said, spiriting away the bread and the box.

I patted the empty chair next to me, and Bosley sat.

"Ok, so now you guys have to fill me in on everything," I said, finishing the last of my eggs. "For starters, how'd you find me?"

Sabrina, being Sabrina, began to explain the situation before anyone else could respond.

"Okay. Well, we were all at the office yesterday, right? I was the only car parked out front, so I came out alone. Now… you know that guy, Gillis?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. So this genius comes up to me on the street with his jacket pocket aimed at me, tells me to get in my car and drive."

"He didn't know Kris and I were at the window seeing all this, or that I had my car parked in back." Bosley added.

"Right. So they step out and show him their guns, and he panics and tries to run. We caught him, played trigger-happy and scared him a little, and made him take us to their little hideout. That's probably where he was going to have me drive anyway."

"Oh geez. But how'd you know where I was?"

"We were skilled enough to detect the subtle clues you left behind," Bosley said, sipping some coffee.

Kris returned to the table bearing toast. "Yeah, blood, guns, shells, a dead guy," she listed on her fingers. "You left quite a little gingerbread trail of destruction over to that other building."

"Oh yeah," I remembered about Coby, and then the actual case we were supposed to have been on. "That guy told me that Gillis killed Steadley. The police have him now, right?"

"Well that's good to know… but yeah, he's in custody. We got him to do some talking, but they're hoping to get more out of him."

"Did you figure out how he knew us?" I asked.

"I got a theory at least," Sabrina answered. "You know how Steadley wanted to hire us for something, and then Charlie never heard back from him? I figure he wanted detectives in the first place to sic on Gillis and Raft, and what's his name for whatever reason. Maybe he told them he was going to hire us, or they just found out, and they weren't too excited about having detectives around, and that's why they killed him."

"Could be. Wait, he told me something about it. I asked why they killed him. He said that they wanted to use the repair shop for something else, and Steadley said no. But I didn't find out what."

"Drugs, maybe? Gambling?" Kris suggested.

"Gotta be something like that," I shrugged.

"Okay," Sabrina said. "So maybe we just have a guy who was trying to keep his business clean, and they killed him so he couldn't invite any detectives to poke around in… whatever they were doing."

"I'd put my money on that," I nodded.

"Kelly, now about your car… there were only those three guys with you, right?"

"Yeah. Coby and Raft drove me, Gillis took my car somewhere."

"Ok. Well, they still haven't identified the body in your car, but now I'm wondering if it isn't old Steadley himself. I mean, we've got one missing person and one superfluous corpse… maybe that just balances out."

"I bet you're right. And that would explain…" _Put her in there with the other one_, I heard inside my head_._ _With the other one…_ I sat back, mulling it over. "You know what, I think they might have had him there with me, and I just didn't know it."

"Well, the police are certainly going to want to hear all this," Bosley reminded me. "They still need to get a statement from you, you know."

"I know."

"The officers gave us an extension to call when you're ready," he said, taking a bite. "Hey, good pancakes."

"Bri made them," I replied brightly.

He didn't mean it in surprise, just out of conversational habit: "Really?"

Sabrina threw her hands in the air in exasperation and got up from the table. Kris lost it again.

"What?" Bosley stopped in mid-chew, confused.


	11. Happiness

Sabrina and Bosley said goodbye in the late afternoon. Kris was taking a shower, only after asking a dozen times whether I really minded being on my own for a few minutes.

I floated around my bedroom debating whether to bother getting dressed. For a long time I stood in front of my mirror, looking at nothing in particular. It seemed my hair was a lost cause for the day. My eyes went to the scar that flirted with my hairline, the one I could conceal easily but still never forgot about.

Behind me I saw Kris emerge from the bathroom, wrapped in a big towel. She came up closer and met my eyes in the mirror.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"I keep working for Charlie much longer and I can be Frankenstein for every Halloween," I said, looking at the bandage on my arm. "I hope it's true how they say chicks dig scars."

"Oh, they do. It's how Frankenstein got the bride," she smiled, then her face straightened. "Wait, you're not really worrying about that, are you?"

"Nah, not really," I shrugged.

"Good."

I turned from the mirror and looked at her directly.

"Kris, how about you? Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I'm good now." She lowered her eyes.

"Want your penny back?"

"Hah. Well…you know, yesterday was my worst nightmare in the world," she said after a moment. "But that's the thing about nightmares… even if they're the worst thing in the world, they're the best thing in the world too. Because however bad it is, that's how good it is when you wake up."

We looked at each other warmly for a moment.

"You know you're the absolute best thing in my life?" I said. "Maybe this doesn't make sense, but… I really wanted to _live_, not just not die. I really am happy with my life now and it's because of you."

"I know that feeling," she said, absently tracing my fingers with hers.

I was glad, because I didn't know how to explain all the things I had thought about. I expected to babbled endlessly about everything, but now I could see that she already understood everything I wanted to say. There was no need to continue.

She eyed my lips, and kissed them.

"Do you want to get some more rest?"

"No." I returned the favor to those soft lips that I loved to kiss.

She accepted me warmly, deepening the kiss and turning it from mine to ours, her arms encircling my shoulders. Her lips traveled to my neck and I let myself get lost in the sensation..

Her hands dropped to the sash around my waist. Big blue eyes raised to mine, searching my face for any hesitation, any sign that she should stop. She found none. Her fingers slipped underneath the fabric, slowly sliding it off my shoulders. It quietly crumpled on the carpet. Her eyes never left mine.

A curtain of warmth drew across my face, and I wondered if it was visible. I wasn't insecure; just a lights-off kind of girl, especially considering the bruises.

Her arms slid around my neck and she just looked at my face, a little smile growing on hers.

"Do I still make you nervous," she said quietly, kissing at my cheek.

"I don't think that's ever going to stop." I loosened the tuck of her towel, and it fell free.

She smiled, still nuzzling my cheek. "Maybe you make me nervous too."

"Just pretend you're at a nude beach."

"That's not funny," she pulled back, evidently not too mad as laughter got the better of her.

"Couldn't resist," I smiled.

Not quite finished giggling, she guided me backwards onto my bed and our lips met again, each pouring ourselves into a deep kiss.

For the rest of the evening she made me forget all my worries, and forget about the whole world. She made love to me just the way I wanted, just the way I needed, as if she knew me better than I did. Her gentle touch felt so good, so right, both outside and in. She gave me one of her all-consuming kisses, the kind that was too good to miss even for oxygen. And then the moment was perfect; helplessly I let go and came for her. I wondered if she knew the moans catching in my throat were repetitions of her name.

I pulled her close as air returned to my lungs. I needed her there to ease me down from the clouds, to protect me in my moment of trembling vulnerability and nurse me back to lucidity.

She held me tight and kissed me softly, letting me know there was noplace else she would ever be.

The end


End file.
